Feed mechanism for blank-treating machines.



L. E.-LA BOMBARD & M. H. SIDEBOTHAMI FEED MECHANISM FOR BLANK TREATING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAYI5, I916.

- L fi flo Patented ept. 4,1917.

A80 .5 Lziaryparxz Tasman.

- as E LEoN E. 1130mm,- OF'CHELSEA, innssacnusnrrs, AND ME vm' H. SIDEBOTHAM, or imsmm, NEW namsnmn, ASSIGNORS T0 ELIE w. LABoMEAEEE, oEEAsHUA,

NEW HAMPSHIRE.

EEEn monamsrr FOR, BLAN -rnEA'rme MACHINES.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented ee e. 4t, rem.

Original application filed Ql'une 5, 1913, Serial No. 771.8%. Divided andthisapplication filed 111ay15,

v 1916. Serial 110. 97,573. 1

setts, and'of Nashua, in the county of Hillsborough and State of New Hampshire,have invented certain new and useful Improve- .ments in Feed Mechanism for Blank-Treat-' ing Machines, of which the following is a specification, the same being a division of our application Serial No. 771,848, filed June 5, 1913, for envelop machines.

' This invention relates to means for feed in blanks of paper or pasteboard the blgnks be taken singly from a pile on a table and orwarded to mechanism which acts upon the blanks to fold or otherwise treat them. e

One of the .objectsof the invention is to provide an improved feed mechanism which is adjustable to compensate for wear.

Another object is to provide a feeder of the type known .as combing wheel which itself will act as a gage to prevent passage of more than one blank of a ness, at a time.

Another object is to rovide a r tary' feeder which is convertib e for timed eedgiven thick:

. With these and other objects in view, our

invention consists in the improvements which wewill proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is an elevation of so much of a machine embodying our improvements as is Y necessary to illustrate the same.

Fi 2, 3 and 4 are detail views of combing feed roll or wheel.

Similar reference characters indicate simithe ' lar parts in all of theviews.

A portion of the heme of the machine,

1 is indicated at 10, said frame having at one end an adjustable inclinedtable 11 for the blanks, which may be of any desired and practicable quality and thickness'of paper.

The table is pivoted at 12 to the frame and at 13 to the upper end. of a strut-or rod 14, the lower end of which is slidably clampedin a sleeve 15 pivoted at 16. A ile of blanks a placed on the table will be ed one as in U. S. Patent 5%,131, granted May-28,

1895, to Allen, said mechanism comprising one or more wheels 17' secured to a continuously operatin shaft 18, each wheel having a section of iction material 19, such as rubber, to draw off and feed the top blank of the pile, the blanks below the top one having their front edges in contact with one or more retarding devices such as sec- .tions of rubber 20 carried by hinged members 21 adjustable-by screws 22.

Each blank, as it is fed by the wheel or wheels 17 is deposited upon forwarding tapes or belts 23 running'on elongated rolls or shafts, one of which is indicated at 21. Above the tapes 23 are chains 26 mounted upon sprocket wheels carried by shafts one 0 which is indicated at 27 Instead of the tapes or belts 23 being traveling belts, they might be stationary, if of frictionless material such as smooth metal. Further defrom the feeding mechanism W1 be unnecessary since any forwarding or carrying.

means may be employed according to the character of the. machine with which our improved feed mechanism is employed. Referring especially to Figs. 2, 32nd 1, the wheel 17 has an annular recesspresenting two edge portions 72 between which the elastic rubber ring or periphery 19 is mounted, said ring projectm sli htly be yond or outside of the edges 2. %Fhe rubber of which the ring 19 is made is preferably softer than the retarder or retarders 20'- (Fig. 1).. Inside the ring 19 are metal segments 73, theadjacent ed es of the segments being beveled and slig tly spaced, as

shown in Figx l. Each segment is carried by a radially adjustable pin 74 (Fig. 2) hav-r mg a cone-shaped inner end. Mounted slidjusted by means of two or more screws 7 8 passing through the ring 76 into the body of the wheel, so that the cams 77 can be adjusted to force the pins 71 radially outward, increasing the diameter of the circle formed by the segments and stretching the rin 19 to compensate for wear.

1% practice, the wheel 17 is so mounted and the retard 20 so adjusted, that the space between the retard and the edges 72 of the feed wheel will permit but one blank at a time to pass, the retard being of material sufliciently hard (as relatively hard rubber) to not yield and let the edge of a second blank enter the space. The ring 19 is expanded just enough to project beyond the edges 7 2 and perform its combing or feeding action. As it wears, the ring is expanded, and this can be done until the ring is worn down to an eighth of'an inch or less.

By-removing all but one of the segments, the ring will project in but one place, the

rest of the ring lying in the recess from to prevent the segments from dropping out when the ring 19 is removed, or if it should be worn down so as to break during the runmng of the machine. Such set screws will,

V of course, be loosened when the ring 76 and its cams are to be adjusted. Whether one or all segments are used, there will be one or more edge portions 72 to constitute a gage to prevent the entry of a second blank etween the wheel or segment and retard until the first has passed.

It will thus be seen that we have provided a feedwheel which is convertible so-as to constitute an essential portion of timed feed mechanism, or straight top feed mechanism.

'If the yielding peripheral portion of the wheel be caused to project in but one place, as indicated in Fig. 1, a blank will be taken from the top of the pile on the table only once for each rotation of the shaft of the combing wheel, the blanks then being sent through the machine being spaced according to the circumference of the combing wheels. If the yielding peripheral portion be caused to project at two diametrically opposite places, then the combing wheels are adapted to operate on smaller blanks so as to remove two blanks from the pile for each rotation. If the yielding peripheral portion be presented uniformly, as shown in Fig. 3, then afeed of a blank will occur from the top of the pile each time that a preceding blank is removed. In other words, the blanks will follow each other with the front 65 edge of one close behind the rear edge of the preceding one, this being as the stralght top feed, instead of a timed feed.

The table 11 is preferably provided with ides such as the flanges 80 Fig. 1 rising from straps 81 which are adjustable laterally of the table and held as by means'of set screws 82. I

To guide each blank which is advanced over the retarders 20, indicated in Fig. 1, on to the supporting surface 23, we employ one or more idle wheels or rolls underneath the combing wheels 17, said idle wheels having smooth peripheries and having no feed ing action. They constitute anti-friction devices to hold each blank in position to be operated uponby the feed 19 carried by the wheels 17. As hereinbefore stated, after each blank is started into the machine by the wheels 17 any suitable mechanism may be employed for insuring their being carried to position to be engaged by other mechanism.

We cla1m:

1. A rotary feeder for blanks having agage and a friction member adjustable relatively to said gage, and a relatively stationary surface adjacent said rotary feeder.

2. A combing wheel feeder having an annular gage and a radially adjusta le friction member adjacent said gage, in combination with a relatively stationary surface spaced from the feeder to permit the passage of blanks one at a time.

1 3. A combing wheel feeder comprising a 1 pair of disks and a radiall adjustable frictionmember between said ks, in combination with a relatively stationary surface spaced from the feeder to permit the passage of blanks one at a time.

4. A combing wheel feeder having a plurality of adjustable segments and an elastic ring having a friction surface mounted on said segments, in combination with a relatively stationary surface spacedfrom the feeder to permit the passage of blanks one at a time. I

5. A combing wheel feeder having a. plu# rality of adjustable segments, and an elastic ring having a friction surface mounted on said segments, said wheel having edge portions at the sides of the ring of less diameter than said ring.

6. A rotary feeder for blanks, said feeder having a friction periphery adjustable to present an irregular surface or a cylindrical surface whereby it is convertible for timed feeding or continuous feeding, in combine. t1on with a relatively stationary surface spaced from the feeder. to permit the passage of blanks one at a time.

7. A rotary feeder having'a friction pe riphery for blanks, said feeder having means whereby either a predetermined portion of its peri hery, or the entire periphery there-;

of. 1s a apted to contact with and advance 130 neeegzeo a blank, in combination with a relatively.

stationary surface over which the blank is advanced by the feeder.

8. A combing feed wheel having adjusting means for causing its eriphery to pre sent a circular feeding sur ace or to project one portion of said periphery, whereby the wheel may be converted for timed or straight feeding, in combination with a relatively stationary surface to support blanks fed by said wheel.

9. A combing wheel comprising a pair of disks, segments mounted between said disks and radially'adjustable, and an elastic ring having a frictionsurtace mounted on said segments.

10. A combing feed wheel comprising a pair of disks, segments mounted between said disks, radially movable pins for adjusting said segments, an elastic ring having a friction surface mounted onsaid segments, and an adjustable ring having cam projections engaging the inner ends of said pins.

In testimony whereof we have afixed our signatures.

LEON n. LA BOMBARD. MELVIN n. SIDEBOTHAM. 

